SOME SCHOOLS EXTENDING REMOTE LEARNING
Over the weekend, several schools have updated their learning mode for the week.  East Lycoming School District high school will stay in remote instruction through January 6^th, with Hughesville returning to in-person instruction on January 11^th.  The elementary schools will reopen today.  South Williamsport District has called a 2-hour delay this morning due to weather but will continue remote learning through this week.  All South students are tentatively planning to return to in-person mode January 11^th as well. Students in the Loyalsock Township School District will continue with remote instruction this week, but will provide transportation for students attending the Lycoming County Career and Technical School today.

DUI ACCIDENT SLOWED BRIDGE TRAFFIC
Traffic was slowed along the Market Street bridge last week due to an alleged DUI accident.  According to the Sun Gazette, a driver had minor injuries following a rear-end collision  last Tuesday night around 9pm that police say involved Anne Bender-Brennan who was taken into custody.  South Williamsport police said the passenger of the car that was hit in the accident was treated and released the next day, the driver was unharmed.  Traffic was reportedly stopped on the bridge southbound til about 10pm while crews cleaned up the debris from the wreck.

FLAGS LOWERED IN HONOR OF STATE LAWMAKERS
Commonwealth Flags will continue to fly at half-staff today to honor the passing of State Representative Mike Reese, who died Saturday.  Reese represented the 59th Legislative District from 2009 to 2021.  The United States flag has flown at half-staff since Thursday, December 31, 2020 in honor of former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh, and should remain at half-staff until the date of the former Governor’s interment

COVID UPDATE
The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed a two-day total of 16,967 new cases of the coronavirus as of January 2^nd 2021.  There are 289 new cases in Northumberland County, 62 in Union County residents have tested positive, Snyder County has 43, Montour County has 45 more cases.  There are 5,624 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 1,172 patients are in the intensive care unit. Statewide percent positivity for last week stood at 15%.

POLICE CAR STOLEN WITH K-9 PATROL INSIDE
A Williamsport Bureau of Police car with Tacoma, the city K-9 police dog, inside, was stolen on December 23^rd by a Williamsport man who is now in custody.  According to the Sun Gazette, 39 year old Christopher Dryden contacted city police through the intercom at the rear of city hall and then got in the cruiser and drove it off the rear ramp there.  Dryden allegedly tormented the police dog who was attempting to protect the vehicle as he was trained to do.  Two officers chased the car on foot, one reaching the car and tazing the suspect who is now confined to Lycoming County Prison, unable to post the 7500 dollars bail.  Tacoma was unharmed.

PUBLIC INVITED TO MAKE THEIR OWN BUTTER SCULPTURE
With only a virtual Pennsylvania farm show experience this year, residents are now being asked to create their own butter sculpture for next week’s Butter Up! Contest.  The Department of Agriculture announced an opportunity for Pennsylvanians to win one of a variety of gift cards from members of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA). Individuals can use up to 5 pounds of butter to craft their own sculptures and enter them – the contest on the Farm Show Facebook page will be open for submissions from Saturday January 9 through Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 8:00 PM.  Go to farmshow.pa.gov for guidelines

FISH AND BOAT COMISSION TO MEET VIRTUALLY
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will conduct a virtual meeting of the Fisheries and Hatcheries Committee this Thursday,  at 2pm due to the continued public health concerns related to COVID-19, and PFBC staff will be participating remotely. You can watch a live stream of the meeting on Facebook.com by searching for PA Fish and Boat.  Those wanting to submit a public comment should (717) 705-7846 this morning beginning at 8:00 a.m. through tomorrow at noon.

SPORTS
NFL
The Bills beat the Dolphins 56-26, the Ravens beat the Bengals 38 to 3, Browns beat the Steelers 24 to 22, Washington beat the Eagles 20 to 14, Patriots beat the Jets 28-14, New York Giants beat the Cowboys 23-19, Chargers beat the Chiefs 38-21, Vikings beat the Lions 37-35, Buccaneers beat the Falcons 44-27, Packers beat the Bears 35-16, Raiders beat the Broncos 30 to 31, Colts beat the Jaguars 28-14, Rams beat the Cardinals 18 -7, Seahawks over the 49ers 26-23, Saints beat the Panthers 33-7, Titans beat the Texans 41-38.

NBA
Celtics beat the Pistons 122 to 120, Wizards beat the Nets 123 to 122, Lakers beat the Grizzlies 108 to 94, Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 124 to 109, Jazz beat the Spurs 130 to 109, Bulls beat the Mavericks 118 to 108, Clippers beat the Suns 112-107, and the Warriors beat the Trailblazers 137 to 122

Tonight Basketball
The 76ers play Charlotte Hornets tonight at seven and the Knicks go to Atlanta fort 7pm tip-off.

College basketball
In the opening weekend of Patriot League play Navy had a 63-60 win over Bucknell on Sunday evening.  Bucknell’s next game is on Saturday against Lafayette.

CITY: CLEAR STORM DRAINS OF ICE AND DEBRIS TO AVOID LOCAL FLOODING
With the anticipated snow melt and re-freeze expected for the end of this week, the Williamsport Bureau of Fire chief said the city streets and parks department crews will be working today and tomorrow to clear snow, ice, and debris from as many storm drains as possible to avoid the possibility of localized flooding.  According to the Sun Gazette, Chief Mark Killian is also asking residents to clean storm drains and basins at their homes and on their properties.   The National Weather Service is forecasting for 2 or more inches of rain combined with 2 inches of snow melt on Christmas Eve. There is a flood watch in effect from noon Thursday until noon Christmas or Friday
WATER TRUCK HIT POLE AFTER ACCIDENT
A water tank truck crashed into a power pole following a collision with another vehicle Monday night in Loyalsock Township around 9pm.  According to the Sun Gazette, police say a Jeep driven by a minor male with a female passenger collided with a truck, owned by Heckman Water Resources, was heading southbound on Lycoming Creek Road and attempted a right turn onto Colvin Road.  The truck went on to hit a power pole after the crash.  Both vehicles were totaled but no one was injured.  Several fire companies responded to the downed power line and the scene was cleared by 10:30pm.

STIMULUS DEAL STILL UNSETTLED
Congressman Fred Keller of Kreamer voted against the COVID relief measure worth $900 billion bill, saying it spends ‘well beyond’ our nation’s means. According to the Sun Gazette, Keller says the bill lacks critical protections.  President Trump, last night, said he wants more in direct payments to go to Americans and will not sign the bill.  As of yesterday, the aid package included $600 in direct payments, $300 per week in enhanced federal unemployment benefits and more than $284 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans for businesses. NO word on the fate of the bill at this time.

LOCAL DONATION ADDS TO WILLIAMSPORT POLICE K-9 PROGRAM
Williamsport Bureau of Police announced that there are new funds that will go toward expanding their Canine (K-9) program, thanks to a 15 thousand dollar donation Monday from Lou and Nicole Miele of local business Pennsylvania Skill.   The donation funds will be used in support of the Bureau’s current Canine (K9) training and equipment and operations hopeful adding a future third K-9 team.

LYCOMING COUNTY COVID UPDATE
The state Department of Health confirmed 231 new statewide deaths,  and 7,962 new coronavirus cases as of yesterday.   Lycoming County’s COVID case count increased by 66, and there were 54 new Northumberland County cases.  Union County has 62 new cases and Snyder has 16.  There were more deaths reported as of Monday in local counties according to the health department with 18 deaths in Clinton County, Lycoming County reports 4 and  Tioga County had two fatalities. Statewide hospitalizations are now over 6,100, including over 1,200 in the ICU and over 700 on ventilators.

LINDEN MAN ACCUSED OF RAPE
A Linden man accused of rape is in jail after he attempted the assault of a clerk at a Renovo business last week.  According to the Sun Gazette, police say a 59-year-old woman allege that a man identified as 35 year old Lance Baker forced the attempted sexual assault in the back room of a business where she was working about 10pm on December 17^th . Renovo Police apprehended Baker on Dec. 18 in the 700 block of Erie Avenue in Renovo Borough.  In a separate criminal complaint, Baker is charged in Lycoming County with misdemeanor indecent assault from an incident in October and is being held at the Clinton County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail

NEW APP FOR COVID TRACING
Pennsylvania is encouraging residents to use a new app to help trace and discover COVID exposure in the Commonwealth.  If a user is diagnosed with the coronavirus the app will note their risk, demographic info and travel habits and use it for COVID detection in a community. Over 700,000 users are using the app at this time and allows the PA Department of Health to track the virus in record time.  You can download the app from your Google Play Store or Apple App Store and downloading the free COVID Alert PA app to your smartphone.

LOTS TO TRAVEL THIS CHRISTMAS
AAA Travel predicts that as many as 84.5 million Americans will travel over the next 10 days. Although warnings exist, much as they did before Thanksgiving, travelers are still heading out. According to reports, approximately 10 million people flew during the Thanksgiving holiday.  If you aren’t willing to stay home, the CDC requires a 10 day quarantine without a negative test result within 72 hours of arriving in the state

SPORTS
NBA

The NBA kicked off the season last night…
Nets beat the Warriors 125 to 99, Clippers beat the Lakers 116 to 109

NFL

Central Mountain graduate and former Penn State standout Robbie Gould kicked his 400th career field goal in Sunday’s game with the San Francisco 49ers. Gould is the 11th player in NFL history to do so.

Tampered Serial Number On Handgun

Officer Nicholas Carrita pulled over a 28 year old Breliun McCloe after noticing his registration had expired. McCloe told the officer he was on his way to work, and told him that he was on probation for a simple drug charge. After a look through the computer it was found that it was for weapon and cocaine possession. After a pat down, and an interrogation, the officer decided to search the vehicle, where he found a handgun with an obliterated serial number.  It was later found in court however, that the warrant was not justified, because no reasonable suspiscion of danger was found when McCloe was pulled over, causing the handgun to be thrown out as evidence byu judge Nancy L. Butts.

Attorney General Office Shuts Down California Based Scam

The Office of Attorney General Josh Shapiro has taken credit for shutting down a California based company that was accused of scamming students with an illegal loan forgiveness scheme. The company will now have to cease operations, and reimburse the $74,000 to PA consumers that participated. They will also be required to pay $50,000 dollars in penalties and fees. Shapiro has released a statement recently saying that consumers should be aware of the scammer mentality, and that only scammers promise fast loan forgiveness with upfront fees.

Public Drunkenness/Possession Charges Filed

Chy Ann McCormick, a 46 year old from Williamsport was cited for pulic drunkenness. Officer Christopher Salisbury responded to the call, and wrote in an affidavit that she alledgedly walked onto a porch to a residence on memorial avenue, causing a loud disturbance by banging on the door. She was apparently so intoxicated that she could not walk. She was arraigned in front of Judge Aaron Biichle later that night and charged with defiant trespassing, public drunkenness, and loitering. The bail was set at 17,000 dollars. Aaron Haefner, a 45 year old man of 1413 Scott St was charged with possision after being pulled over in his red ford Taurus by state troopers. 7 blue waxen bags of heroin were found on his person along with paraphernalia. He is scheduled to appear before Judge marc Lovecchio on January 4^th.

Sports

NFL

The College Football Playoff semifinal scheduled to take place at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, has been moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the Rose Bowl announced Saturday. The game will take place on Jan. 1

NHL

The NHL told its seven Canadian-based teams Thursday that there is a possibility they will have to play in the United States this season due to roadblocks with Canadian health authorities. The NHL had been hoping to play a 56-game season starting Jan. 13 with teams playing in their own arenas. However, provincial health authorities in Canada have challenged some of the NHL’s proposed protocols, which could force a change.

MMA

MMA coach Rafael ‘Barata’ de Freitas pleads not guilty to third-degree criminal sexual penetration Wednesday in Albuquerque (New Mexico) Metropolitan Court. De Freitas, who is married, was arrested last weekend after allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted a student at her home, with the alleged attack caught on video. He is still being held in custody without bond.

CLINTON COUNTY CRASH UPDATE
Following the fatal wreck that occurred in Clinton County Wednesday afternoon that has kept the interstate closed as crews  clear over 60 tractor trailers and cars from the roadway, one westbound lane is now open between I- 180 in Northumberland County and the 178/Lock Haven interchange in Clinton County.  Penn DOT says both eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 opened yesterday afternoon.  The detour has now been lifted using I-180W and Route 220 South.  The multi-car pile-up accident began Wednesday afternoon during the beginning of the snow storm that brought white out conditions and involved 55 tractor trailers and 11 passenger cars.  According to State police, two people died in accidents involved in the crash, one person died from a medical condition while in the backed up traffic.

SUNBURY HAS WATER MAIN BREAK ALONG WITH SNOW STORM
Plow crews in Sunbury had extra work to manage after a water main break occurred Wednesday night at Fourth and Reagan Streets.  According to media outlets, City Administrator Jody Ocker said ambulance crews struggled with the snowy conditions while responding to an emergency on Greenough Street, and plows were temporarily stuck due to the weight of the snow and occasional rain that fell.  More snow should be removed from Market street as of today, with more plow work scheduled for Arch Walnut and Chestnut streets tonight.

lYCOMING coUNTY COVID UPDATE
Lycoming County reports 167 new coronavirus cases today, Northumberland County  has 116, Tioga County has 73 new today, Snyder County has 54, Union and Clinton Counties both have 44 new cases .  Lycoming County has 91 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, 16 in the ICU, with 7 on ventilators and 2 available Adult ICU beds.  The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed yesterday that there are 9,966 additional positive cases of COVID-19, and there were 224 new deaths reported.

WILLIAMSPORT SNOWFALL BREAKS THE RECORD
Williamsport had an official record amount of snow Wednesday and Thursday totaling 24.7 inches beating the record of 24.1 inches set in 1964, according to weather outlets and Wednesday ties for the second highest one day snowfall in December.  According to Accuweather, temperatures will stay below 32 for a few more days and another weather event heading toward northeastern PA could bring more snow to the region before Christmas.

VACCINE SHIPMENT STILL ON TRACK DURING STORMY CONDITIONS
The major snow storm that dumped two feet of snow on Williamsport, has not slowed the region’s chance to receive shipments of the coronavirus vaccine this week.  According to the Sun Gazette, there are Pfizer vaccination allocations going to over 80 state hospitals, including UPMC Williamsport alongside UPMC Lock Haven, Cole in Potter County and Wellsboro. 16 hospitals have received the first allocation of the Pfizer vaccination, with over 1,000 doses already distributed.  Geisinger has already received between 2,000 and 3,000 doses at some of their local hospitals, and has started vaccinating their front-line healthcare workers.  Dr. Rachel Levine said there’s a plan for the Pfizer, Moderna or two other anticipated-to-be-approved vaccines to be administered through pharmacies such as CVS or Walgreens as well as through primary care physicians and related clinics.

COUPLE ACCUSED OF ABUSE WAIVE PRELIMINARY HEARING
The estranged Williamsport couple accused of abusing their 8 children have had their bail adjusted after waiving their respective preliminary hearings.  Matthew and Christine Zeigler, were arraigned on charges related to 16 years of alleged abuse including excessive spanking, being locked up for punishment and being denied food.  A judge allowed an exception to a no-contact rule for Christine Zeigler who asked to be in contact with the three minors for family therapy, however the mother is not allowed to contact her other children.  Matthew Ziegler’s bail was modified to 100 thousand dollars for his charges including endangering the welfare of children and indecent assault.

A COALITION FILES SUIT AGAINST GOOGLE
A coalition of 37 State Attorney’s General along with Josh Shapiro have filed suit against Google LLC alleging that Google illegally maintains its monopoly power over other search engines and advertising markets,  depriving consumers of competition that could lead to greater choice, innovation, and better privacy protections.  The attorneys general ask the court to halt Google’s illegal conduct and restore a competitive marketplace. The complaint is in conjunction with a pending U.S. DOJ case.

LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL GOING REMOTE
Hughesville High School will go to remote learning through 2021 with the Elementary schools remaining in traditional “face to face” instruction.The East Lycoming School District Thursday.released information about a student has been deemed “presumed positive” in the Junior & Senior High School, and  because this is the fourth case in their 14 day rolling average, they will shift to remote instruction today and continue in remote instruction until January 4^th. Students can find their class schedule for remote learning on Sapphire as well as in their email.

SPORTS

NFL
Thursday night Football
LA Charges defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 30-27

Buffalo Play Denver on Saturday at 4:30
Carolina Panthers go to Green Bay at 8:15

NCAA Football

Saturday

Northwestern vs Ohio State – noon on FOX
Illinois comes to Penn State at 5:30pm

The Sun Belt Conference championship game between No. 19 Louisiana and No. 12 Coastal Carolina has been canceled because of a positive COVID-19 test within the Coastal Carolina program.  The conference will recognize Louisiana and Coastal Carolina as co-champions.

UCLA will not pursue the opportunity to play in a bowl game, joining a growing list of college teams deciding to not extend their season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  The Bruins are one of just two teams in the Pac-12 that have played the full six-game allotment that the conference had scheduled to this point, and they are expected to host Stanford on Saturday in what will be the season finale for both teams.

MAJOR SNOW STORM ON THE WAY
A crippling snow is forecast to begin in our area at midday today and we could see upwards of 12 inches of snow before it’s over by Thursday midday.  According to the City of Williamsport their plowing fleet consists of 15 drivers  and 18 trucks and they will be working through the storm, using a combination of salt and cinders, tackling major roads first then the secondaries followed by alleys which are  expected to be plowed by Thursday afternoon.  River Valley Transit will be using emergency routes with limited drop-off locations.

FORMER OFFICER CHARGED
A Williamsport police officer has been charged by the Attorney General of Pennsylvania with misconduct after allegedly leveraging his authority as an officer and participating in coercive sexual relationships with two women.  According to the Sun Gazette, 36 year old Eric Derr of Cogan Station participated in shielding more than one person from prosecution in 2015 while allegedly knowing they were purchasing drugs and involved in other crimes.  According to Williamsport Police chief Damon Hagan, Derr intentionally bypassed a supervisor when filing reports about those related incidents.  Derr resigned from the Williamsport Bureau of Police in September after being suspended in June.  Derr was arraigned yesterday and will have a preliminary hearing on January 4^th 2021.

LOCAL COVID UPDATE
Lycoming County reports 156 new cases of COVID today Northumberland County has 83 new cases Clinton County has 59 Tioga County has  23 new cases, Union has 16 new cases.  Lycoming County has 87 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, 12 in the ICU, with 4 on ventilatorsAccording to the Pennsylvania Department of Health there are 9,556 additional positive cases as of yesterday and  270 new deaths attributed to COVID-19.

LOCAL HOSPITAL GETS THE VACCINE
Evangelical Community Hospital announced  that the  first wave of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has officially arrived Tuesday at their facility, and patient-facing employees will receive the doses beginning today. According to media outlets, hospital employees unpacked the vaccine doses that require to an ultra-low temperature freezer according to FDA guidelines.

PENNDOT PREPPING THE ROADS
With a major storm heading our way today, forecast to start  around noon PennDOT will be pre-treating major roads with anti-icing trucks along high-volume roads in the District 3 region of Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.  PennDOT encourages motorists to pack an emergency kit for their vehicles which can include non-perishable food, water, blanket, small shovel and warm clothes.  PPL Electric has issued a statement for the public that they expect some outages due to heavy snowfall and are prepared to respond in a quick and a safe manner for their crews.  If you lose power and are using a portable generator, never operate the generator in an enclosed area.

WILLIAMSPORT MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED IN NEW YORK
A man who was a suspect in the murder of a Williamsport woman last October has been arrested by US Marshall’s Service in New York.  According to the Sun Gazette, witnesses say a man who resembled 37 year old Antwan Michael McClain approached a group of people  outside a home on Louisa St. in the city and shot Jimia Alston in the abdomen before fleeing.  With attempts to apprehend McClain in Williamsport unsuccessful,  the USMS Fugitive Task Force was asked to step in.  McClain was taken into custody without incident at a home in Schenectady NY.  He faces criminal homicide and other charges including carrying a firearm without a license.

CORRECTIONAL OFFICER RELEASED FROM HOSPTIAL AFTER ASSAULT BY INMATE
The corrections officer at USP Allenwood who was seriously injured last week was released from the hospital  Sunday and is recovering.  According to media outlets, 51-year-old Dale Franquet Jr had been stabbed in the eye by an inmate and was in critical condition, but according to reports,  underwent surgery to remove his right eye .  Franquet is the varsity wrestling coach at Midd-West High School.  Other employees at Allenwood who were also hurt in the assault at the prison have recovered and returned to work.

MUNCY ELEMENTARY TO BE IN-PERSON, THE HS WILL BE REMOTE
The Muncy School Board has voted 4-4 Monday night that the elementary school will continue in-person instruction, and students in the High School are in remote learning prior to and in the week following the holiday break.   According to the Sun Gazette, students at the high school had returned this week to in-person learning, but are scheduled to be remote for Dec. 21 and 22 and Jan. 1 through 8. They will return to in-person instruction on Jan. 11. Students at the elementary level will be in school for those dates. Their holiday break begins on Dec. 23 and runs through Jan. 1, with return to school slated for Jan. 4

SPORTS
NCAA BigTen
In a vote by conference coaches, Justin Fields of Ohio State has been named Offensive player of the Year.  The Buckeyes are 5&0 and will play Northwestern in Indianapolis Saturday.

NBA
Alize Johnson contributed to the Toronto Raptors 112-109 win over the Charlotte Hornets in a preseason game this week.  In his four minutes on the court, the St. John Neumann graduate had two rebounds an assist and a point.  The Raptors continue their preseason in 2020 with a game against the Miami Heat Friday.